Jasper had not been in the grandline long, hell he hadn't even seen the crazy islands that heard stories about. Things like an island covered in thunderstorms, an island that sinks below the water like a submarine at night, and other oddities. Jasper served under Admiral Hephaestus, the Iron Forge, a powerful man that scares even the greatest of pirates.
Today Jasper and his division had rode towards a training island, they rode with several other vessels all under Hephaestus orders. Jasper was going to be incharge of defending HQ while the other marines went out to help the world. Hephaestus had said it would help prepare us for attack even though it never happened, only once in history, and by the king of the pirates himself.
The island was flat, with a large ruined castle built in the center. All the marines formed rank and file, the Admiral walking amongst them. Hephaestus was a larger man, his physic strong as metal some said. According to rumor he had mastered a devil fruit, but most never saw him use it, since his physic is so powerful on its own.
As Hephaestus walked amongst the file, eyes turned to the west. Jasper caught the sight and felt his jaw drop. In the distance a massive castle began to come into view on the horizon, it was moving towards the island.
“Is that.” A marine began. Jasper already knew, it was the castle ship of the Cobalt Pirates. The crew was led by Dalaran, the first warlord of the sea, The Honorable Pirate. Rumors had it that Dalaran’s crew was all formed of pirates that were turned into the navy, he took them in and reformed them. Some say that his bounty of two hundred million berries was only kept up on the request of Dalaran himself. But from what Jasper heard, he had set up in the New World, he couldn't get that massive castle back to Paradise through the marines gate could he?
Dalaran and Hephaestus walked and talked together, the pirate crew all forming in a similar rank to the Marines. It was odd seeing them all so still like that, yet they did not wear uniforms, they still remained themselves.
Hephaestus was the one to announce what would be happening for their exercise. It was a capture the flag game where the pirates would assault the ruins that the Marines guarded. Suffice to say the pirates won.
Jasper’s group was taken out of the battle when reinforcements came to their post. Turns out the reinforcements were pirates who stole uniforms and knocked them all out. They now sat in the grass with ice to their heads from where they were struck, defeat washing over them.
Dalaran laughed loudly to Hephaestus, waving the captured flag proudly. Jasper expected a crewing out later from his superiors, but for now his headache was far too much to even think.
